Type – Light Gun Manufacturer – Mad Catz Platform – PlayStation 2, Xbox
This is a light gun, plain, simple and bright green. Plug it into your Xbox and pop in one of a tiny handful of games that support it, and you're good to go. There is no assembly, as in Pelican's light rifle, but the features list (and asking price) is small compared to that piece of hardware. MadCatz's blaster is a standard light pistol, but it gets that job done just fine.
The gun itself is well designed, fitting comfortably in your hand with the aid of a rubber grip. Relevant buttons, such as start and reload, are located within easy reach when aiming the gun. Less useful buttons, such as X, Y, Black and White, are way off to the side, but it's a rare thing to need those buttons when blasting zombies in House of the Dead. The gun also has a memory card slot, but it almost seems a waste to include; I'd rather they knocked a buck or two off the price. There's a dpad on the back of the gun, right above the handle. It's a little awkward, but navigates through menus with ease. The all-important trigger feels a little cheap at first, but after a few minutes of play, it's hardly noticeable.
Once properly calibrated (a simple matter of aiming at a few crosshairs on screen), the gun functions accurately. I had no trouble hitting even the corners of the TV, and all the buttons are quick and responsive. It has a vibration function built in, and while it doesn't quite have the kick I'd like from a virtual gun, it's certainly better than no force feedback at all. There are also a few different firing rates, for the wimps that can't hack it without auto or burst fire and auto-reload.
If you want to play House of the Dead 3, you're going to need a gun. While it lacks the scope and pump-action of the Pelican light rifle, this is much cheaper and still quite a bit of fun. Highly recommended, if you don't want to pony up the extra dough for the high-end model. It's just a shame that more games don't support it.
